Who's running things here on planet Earth - because he's making a mess of it.  

Who is supposed to have authority over the earth?

(1)        According to Genesis 1:1, who created the earth?

(2)        According to Psalm 24:1, who owns the earth?

(3)        According to Genesis 1:26 and 28, Psalm 115:16, and Psalm 8:6-8, to whom did God give authority over the earth?

(4)        How might this arrangement be compared with a business owner putting a CEO in charge of his company? How would it be different (consider Amos 3:7)?

The sin problem

(5)        Read the following Scriptures.

Genesis 3

1  Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2  The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,
3  but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’“
4  “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman.
5  “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6  When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
7  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 

Luke 4

5  The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
6  And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.

1 John 5

19  We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

When Adam and Eve chose to believe Satan and to disobey God, what did this do with regard to their authority over the earth?

(6)        Rather than have this happen, why did God simply not cancel His agreement with man and take back authority over the earth for Himself (see Romans 11:29)?

What did God do instead (the gospel)?

(7)        When man became a sinner, he earned something that he cannot get out of his life. He earns it, and it’s his. What is it (Genesis 3:3; Romans 6:23)?

(8)        Because this is true, under whose power do people find themselves (Hebrews 2:14)?

(9)        How able are people to free themselves from this power (Hebrews 2:14; Romans 5:6)?
 

(10)      Read the following Scriptures:

Hebrews 2

14  Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--
15  and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Romans 5

6  You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

Since man was powerless to get his authority back, and God wouldn’t go back on His gift to man of authority over the earth, in order to get the authority from Satan and back to man, what did God have to do?

(11)      How successful was Jesus in getting back authority over the earth (Matthew 28:18)?
 

(12)      What did Jesus do with that authority (Matthew 16:19; Ephesians 1:20-21 and 2:6)?

(13)      Who now has rightful authority over the earth?

The problem of Satan

(14)      Why is there still evil in the world (1 Corinthians 15:25; Hebrews 2:6-8)?

(15)      When will evil finally stop (Revelation 21:1-15)?

(16)      In the meantime, what is the church to do with her authority?

Personal authority

(17)      Consider the following Scriptures and discuss the kinds of authority Christians have in the earth.

Matthew 10

1  He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
7  As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’
8  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
(Cf. Matthew 28: 19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.)

Luke 10

19  [Jesus]: “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

Matthew 16

19  [Jesus]: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 18

18  [Jesus]: “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19  “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.

John 20

22  And with that he [Jesus] breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
23  If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Luke 11

13  [Jesus]: “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

John 14

12  [Jesus]: I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
13  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.
14  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Romans 12

14  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

2 Corinthians 5

20  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors . . .

Personal application

(18)      What authority do you have that you never realized you had before now?
 

(19)      How will you live differently now that you know?

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” BACK

Psalm24:1 “The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it …” BACK

Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’”
Genesis 1:28 “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’”
Psalm 115:16 “The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to man.”
Psalm 8:6-8 “You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.” BACK

Amos3:7 “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” BACK

Romans 11:29 "For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn." BACK

Genesis 3:3 [Eve speaking] “… but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” BACK

Hebrews 2:14 “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil …”. BACK

Romans 5:6 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” BACK

Matthew 28:18 “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’” BACK

Matthew 16:19 [Jesus speaking to Peter] “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Ephesians 1:19b-21 “That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”
Ephesians 2:6 “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus …”. BACK

1 Corinthians 15:25 “For he[Jesus] must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”
Hebrews 2:6-8 “But there is a place where someone has testified: ‘What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet.’ In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.” BACK

Revelation 21:1-15; 22-27 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ He said to me: ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars - their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.’ One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls … I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” BACK